Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamada Moawad, held a dinner in Washington in honor of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his wife, Ambassador Sahar Baasiri Salam, at a stop that combined the political and economic files. The occasion was attended by high-level American officials, Arab diplomats, and representatives of international financial institutions. The Prime Minister was quoted as saying during the meeting: “Lebanon has made its choice, and we are counting on the American leadership to make the tripartite framework a success.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Youssef Raji, the Minister of Finance, Yassin Jaber, and the Minister of Energy and Water, Joseph Sadi, participated in the dinner. On the American side, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, and Deputy National Security Advisors Michael Needham and Joseph Cutler, attended, along with officials from the Departments of State, Treasury, Energy and Commerce, the White House, and Congressman Darrell Issa.
The audience also included the Saudi special envoy to Lebanon, Prince Yazid bin Mohammed bin Fahd Al Farhan, the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, and the ambassadors of the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the Sultanate of Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, and Syria to the United States. In addition, Abdulaziz Al-Mulla, Executive Director of the World Bank Group, and Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund, participated, along with media figures.
In her speech on the occasion, Ambassador Hamada Moawad described the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington as coming at a pivotal stage for Lebanon. She pointed out that Salam’s meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Besent, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, and Director General of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, confirm the depth and importance of Lebanon’s partnership with the United States and international financial institutions.
The Ambassador set the priorities for the next stage in restoring confidence, moving forward with economic and financial reforms, attracting investments, and rebuilding institutions and infrastructure. She expressed her hope that Salam’s visit would contribute to strengthening Lebanon’s international partnerships and mobilizing the necessary support for economic recovery and achieving stability.
This dinner comes in the context of an official visit during which Lebanon presents its urgent need for political and economic support, in parallel with the path of ongoing reforms and continuous communication with international financial institutions, which reflects, through the diversity of attendees, the breadth of the range of parties that Lebanon seeks to involve in recovery and stability efforts.
